Word count: Date: 02/11/11

Li Chun Ho (Alvin) IB History HL

Essay Question: What were the main factors that enabled Mussolini to the rise to power and consolidate his position in Italy between 1918 and 1926? A number of factors, ranging from Italys political situation to Mussolinis abilities and actions have contributed him to become the Fascist leader of Italy. There was great public dissatisfaction when Italy was not award territory as promised after the war by the Treaty of London. There was also fear of the socialist threat as encouraged by deteriorating economic situations in Italy which drew the middle and higher classes to seek for an effective political system against the lower classes. Support by conservative liberals, general strikes and the King himself was an important milestone towards Mussolinis rise to power. Mussolinis ability to join Nationalism and Socialism perhaps was most important. When World War One ended with 600,000 Italian soldiers killed in total and another half captured at the Battle of Caporetto against Austria, Italians at least, expected the conditions that they agreed to before entering the war to be reached. Italy was persuaded to join the Entente in April 1915 that promised Italy would be rewarded land under the Treaty of London. Under the Treaty, Italy would take control over its border with Austro-Hungary, from South Tyrol to Trieste, enabling her to become a bigger power. However, this was not recognized in the Treaty of Versailles, deeming those conditions void. This created a national uproar, with many terming the Allies victory as a mutilated victory. Many nationalists blasted the liberal government for allowing Italy to be come out unrewarded, making the government appear weak and indecisive. This would weaken support for the liberal government, making Mussolinis entry to power easier. With a widely unpopular government, worsening economic conditions in Italy gave the higher classes and the elite reason to fear for a possible communist uprising, as demonstrated by the Russian Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Industries who wanted to become profitable in a weaker economy deteriorated labor conditions, forcing workers into longer hours but smaller pay. Workers expressed their dissatisfaction by attending large strikes that were committed to creating a revolution that become more frequent when unemployment surpassed 2 million in 1919. The government ineffectiveness in creating commissions to control prices and distribution of goods with an unsuitable proportional representation system further dismayed public trust. These demonstrations, supported by the Socialist Party, called for the Liberal state to be overthrown. Mussolini called for these deficiencies and problems to be defeated in a series of battles, known as the Battle for Land, Battle for Lira and the Battle for Grain. They appealed to the great public. Mussolini fuelled support for a Fascist movement in 1919 by forming a Fascio di Combattimento, known as Fascists of the first hour, in the effort to join nationalists and socialists together. They were flanked by squadre dazione, known as black shirts who were fascist paramilitary members supporting the movement. Mussolini was successful in binding the common and mutual similarities these groups share, including the strong hatred of the Liberal state. These action groups were present in 70 towns which appealed to the middle and higher classes as delivering order. Mussolinis organization of the black shirts advantaged his status. This was because industrialists sought for order from the strikes organized by the lefts and paid Mussolini to restore order. This allowed him to eliminate opposition, most significantly when the black shirts burnt down socialist offices and trade unions in late 1920. This significantly reduced threats to Mussolinis fascist 1

Word count: Date: 02/11/11

Li Chun Ho (Alvin) IB History HL

Essay Question: What were the main factors that enabled Mussolini to the rise to power and consolidate his position in Italy between 1918 and 1926? movement that was gaining momentum, as elections after 1920 saw socialist control of 26 out of 69 provinces of Italy. This was only possible because the Italian police and army did not suppress the black shirt movement, most notably the March on Rome in October 1922. With their interference, Mussolinis rise to power would have been more difficult. The outcomes of the March on Rome were successful by creating another step to Mussolinis rise. This came as an invitation by the Italian King for Mussolini to form a new government that would replace the unpopular Liberal state with a years ruling by decree, enabling him to rule with authoritarian decisions. Upon taking power, Mussolini was effective in consolidating it by gaining religious support from the Church in 1929 that strengthened the fascist government. Mussolini agreed not to intervene in Catholic beliefs, where in exchange the Vatican could include schools in its spheres of influence. This mutual benefit improved church state relations thusly creating a more pro-fascist Church in Italy. A notable success was the Popes withdrawal of support to the PPI, Italian Peoples Party, who were later also sacked from government by Mussolini in an attempt to prevent dissent. Education was also influenced by the Fascists, where Mussolini encouraged students to practice the values of discipline and loyalty to the state by reading fascist history in school, and, in 1926, established the Youth movement, which were separate curriculums for girls and boys. Recreation was also controlled, with strong cultural values focused on fascism. The elimination of opposition continued to be a policy Mussolini strived to maintain, with thousands of opponents arrested. Socialists were also banned from joining the coalition, thus making possibilities of overthrow at a minimum. Furthermore, to create a strong government, the Acerbo Law of 1923 entitles the party with the greatest votes to two-thirds of seats in parliament. Mussolini also may have rigged elections in 1924 that saw his party winning 374 out of 535 seats in Parliament. Mussolinis successful consolidation of power may also have been the result of establishing a corporate state, where mixed corporations determined the pay and conditions of workers. Although unsuccessful organization led to rising unemployment, this consequence was cushioned with state insurance. Mussolinis other goals involved committing Italy to an economic autarky, although it was met with little success other than economic modernization to some extent. The economy used foreign and colonial objectives to satisfy its wants, generally benefiting large industries and landowners. These goals were set with Mussolinis intention to transform Italy into a power status country, by expanding her empire and economic influence. To conclude, a number of factors brought Mussolini to power. The situational ones included unanimous Italian outrage for not being awarded for their efforts, the economic fallout created by post war effects, and also the fear of communist uprisings. In order to benefit from these shortcomings, Mussolinis other actions, including to build up the black shirt movement, the Churchs intervention and other methods to eliminate opposition heavily contributed to his rise to 2

Word count: Date: 02/11/11

Li Chun Ho (Alvin) IB History HL

Essay Question: What were the main factors that enabled Mussolini to the rise to power and consolidate his position in Italy between 1918 and 1926? power. Perhaps another success is in Mussolinis political system itself, where Fascism was broadly defined and his speeches often referring to action, to battles appealed to the higher classes need for order. Because Fascism did not have a well defined doctrine, Mussolini was able to adjust accordingly when he took power. The ruling by decree also advantaged him in his courageous pursuit of power.